Hot-Rod and Reel! is a 1959 Looney Tunes short directed by Chuck Jones.
Plot[]
Wile E. Coyote (Famishus famishus) stands prepared with a napkin and utensils as he waits for the Road Runner (Super-sonicus-tastius) to come by, only for the bird to speed past him and send him spinning like a tornado. Once Wile E. stops spinning and commences the chase, the Road Runner reaches two outcroppings and passes them. When Wile E. tries to follow after him, the end of the outcropping comes off and falls with Wile E. still on it, only to land safely between a branch and another precipice. However, when Wile E. carefully steps onto the other precipice, it breaks off and plunges into a river, taking Wile E. with it. Underwater, a fish nearby is spooked when Wile E. gets his newest scheme.
- The Coyote races after Road Runner in a pair of roller states. When Road Runner stops and sticks out his leg to trip the Coyote, Wile E. manages to jump over him and taunts the Road Runner with a raspberry. However, he is unaware that he is heading straight for a cliff and falls off from it, and a set of wheels from one of his skates comes loose and rolls away after the impact.
- After getting an explosive camera kit, Wile E. prepares for his newest deception. Road Runner is intrigued by the signs and believes he's going to get his picture taken. However, when Road Runner gets ready for his "picture", the gun backfires and blasts the Coyote instead. As Road Runner speeds away, Wile E. sees the one flaw of his attempt; he forgot to remove the lens cap.
- As Road Runner taunts the Coyote from above, Wile E. prepares a trampoline. However, when he jumps down and makes contact with the trampoline, it unfurls and traps him inside like a burlap sack.
- Now armed with a crossbow and dynamite, Wile E. prepares to blast the Road Runner into oblivion. However, when he lights the fuse and Road Runner comes, the crossbow fires by itself and leaves the dynamite behind for Wile E. to be blown up.
- Now resorting to Acme products, Wile E. receives a jet-propelled pogo stick. However, when the Coyote prepares the pogo stick, the pogo stick launches backwards and sends him falling off a cliff behind him.
- Using railroad deception again, Wile E. hammers a crossing sign, accompanied by Hi-Fi Railroad Crossing Sounds and tracks set up. The Road Runner stops, actually falling for the trick, but when the Coyote leaps in to catch him, an actual train appears out of nowhere and runs him over.
- Having almost blowing his top with simple traps, Wile E. uses twelve bombs down an extremely long slide made out of wood. However, when he releases the bombs, none of them come out since they're tightly packed together. He tries shaking the bin moderately, then violently. After some pondering, he tries prising them out, but it's when he frustratedly stomps on them that they go off. A dazed and charred Wile E. slides down, and Road Runner passes over him to add insult to injury.
- Wile E. receives another one of Acme's products, a jet-propelled unicycle. When the Coyote lights the fuse, he is dragged away and initially has trouble getting the hang of the unicycle, struggling to get onto it and keep his balance. Once he succeeds, he gets ready to chase the Road Runner once more and speeds down the roads. The Road Runner watches as Wile E. approaches him on the unicycle, taunts him and appears to take off when he charges by, but when the smoke clears, the Road Runner is revealed to be still standing on the same spot as he beeps at the Coyote. As a bemused Wile E. looks back and realizes the bird tricked him, he ends up falling off a cliff, and the words "The End" appear over the cloud of smoke in the wake of his landing.
Availability[]
(1984) VHS
The Looney Tunes Video Show, Volume 13
The Looney Tunes Video Show, Volume 13
(1988) VHS
The Cartoon Collection
The Cartoon Collection
(1990) VHS
Wile E. Coyote and Road Runner (1990)
Wile E. Coyote and Road Runner (1990)
(1995) VHS
Classic Collection (WHSmith Exclusive Video)
Classic Collection (WHSmith Exclusive Video)
(1996) VHS
Special Bumper Collection (Vol. 6)
Special Bumper Collection (Vol. 6)
(1997) LaserDisc
Japanese Looney Tunes LaserDiscs Road Runner and Wile E. Coyote
Japanese Looney Tunes LaserDiscs Road Runner and Wile E. Coyote
(2003) VHS
Wile E Coyote and Road Runner (2003)
Wile E Coyote and Road Runner (2003)
(2003) VHS
Wile E Coyote & Road Runner Speedy Gonzales
Wile E Coyote & Road Runner Speedy Gonzales
(2018) DVD
Stars of Space Jam: Road Runner and Wile E. Coyote (unremastered)
Stars of Space Jam: Road Runner and Wile E. Coyote (unremastered)
(2018) DVD
Stars of Space Jam Collection Volume 1
Stars of Space Jam Collection Volume 1
(2023) Blu-ray
Looney Tunes Collector's Choice: Volume 1 (restored)
Looney Tunes Collector's Choice: Volume 1 (restored)
Streaming[]
Censorship[]
- The ABC airing of this cartoon cuts out the part where Wile E. Coyote uses a camera with a gun inside of it as a ploy to kill Road Runner (which was also cut on the ABC version of "War and Pieces"), and a later scene where Wile E. Coyote lights a match to rev up his unicycle.[1]
Goofs[]
- At the beginning of the cartoon, after the title appears and before the opening credits, Wile E.'s napkin inexplicably disappears after he stops spinning as a result of the Road Runner speeding past him.
Notes[]
- Gag #3 (the trampoline gag) was used in the Road Runner compilation in the 1979 compilation film The Bugs Bunny Road-Runner Movie.
- On Cartoon Network and Boomerang, this plays in PAL pitch.
Gallery[]
Concept drawing by Mike Maltese
Another concept drawing by Mike Maltese
Best of Backgrounds[]
TV Title Cards[]
References[]
External links[]
- "Hot-Rod and Reel!" at the SFX Resource